Installing PE

To install Puppet Enterprise (PE), you must first set up a standard installation. From there, you can scale up to the large or extra-large installation as your infrastructure grows, or customize your configuration as needed.

A standard PE installation consists of the following components installed on a single node:

The primary server: The central hub of activity. It is where Puppet code is compiled to create agent catalogs and where SSL certificates are verified and signed.
The console: The graphical web user interface. It has configuration and reporting tools.
PuppetDB: The data store for data generated throughout your Puppet infrastructure.

Important: The primary server can only run on a *nix machine. However, Windows machines can be Puppet agents, and you can manage them with your *nix primary server. Furthermore, you can operate your *nix primary server remotely from a Windows machine. To do this, before you install PE on your *nix primary server, you must configure an SSH client (such as PuTTY) with the hostname or IP address and port of the *nix machine that you'll use as your primary server. When you open an SSH session to install PE on the *nix primary server, log in as root or use sudo.

To install a FIPS-enabled PE primary server, install the appropriate FIPS-enabled PE tarball (such as puppet-enterprise-2021.6.0-redhatfips-7-x86_64.tar) on a third-party Supported operating system with FIPS mode enabled. The node must be configured with sufficient available entropy for the installation process to succeed.

Verify the installation package

These steps are only required if your organization requires you to verify authenticity before installing packages. These steps explain how to use GnuPG (GPG) to verify the PE installation tarball.

Before you begin

You must have GnuPG (GPG) installed to be able to sign for the release key. GPG is an open source program you can use to safely encrypt and sign digital communications. You can download GPG from the GnuPG website or use your package management system to install it by running something like: yum install gnupg

Download the tarball appropriate to your operating system and architecture.

Tip: To download packages from the command line, run wget --content-disposition <URL> or curl -JLO <URL>, using the URL for the tarball you want to download.
To import the Puppet public key, run:
```
uri='https://downloads.puppet.com/puppet-gpg-signing-key-20250406.pub'

curl "$uri" | gpg --import
```
Tip: For general information about forming curl commands, go to Using example commands.
To print the key fingerprint, run:
```
gpg --fingerprint 0x4528B6CD9E61EF26
```
This command returns the primary key fingerprint. For example:
```
D681 1ED3 ADEE B844 1AF5 AA8F 4528 B6CD 9E61 EF26
```
Download the GPG SIGNATURE .asc file corresponding to your PE tarball. You can find links to these files on the PE Download page.

To verify the installation package release signature, run:

gpg --verify puppet-enterprise-<VERSION>-<PLATFORM>.tar.gz.asc

Results

The gpg --verify command returns something similar to:

gpg: Signature made <DATE_AND_TIME>
gpg: using RSA key <KEY_ID>
gpg: Good signature from "Puppet, Inc. Release Key (Puppet, Inc. Release Key) <release@puppet.com>"

Tip:

If you receive a warning that a valid key path couldn't be found, this means you don't have a trusted path to one of the signatures on the release key.

If you receive a warning that the key is not certified with a trusted signature, this means you haven't told GPG to trust the imported key. Refer to the GPG documentation for more information.

What to do next

If you received the Good signature message, you can proceed to Install PE.

Install PE

The Puppet Enterprise (PE) installer uses default settings to install PE infrastructure components on a single node. After installing, you can scale or customize your installation as needed.

Before you begin

Review the Hardware requirements for standard installations to make sure your system capacity can handle the standard PE installation.

Log in as root on your target primary server. If you're installing on a system that doesn't allow root login, you must use sudo su - to complete these steps.

Download the tarball appropriate to your operating system and architecture.

Tip: To download packages from the command line, run wget --content-disposition <URL> or curl -JLO <URL>, using the URL for the tarball you want to download.
To unpack the installation tarball, run:
```
tar -xf <TARBALL_FILENAME>
```
From the installer directory, run ./puppet-enterprise-installer and follow the CLI instructions to complete the installation.
Optional: Restart the shell to use client tool commands.

What to do next

After completing the standard installation, you can scale or customize your installation, if needed. For information and requirements for large and extra-large installations, go to Supported architectures and System requirements. You can use Configuration parameters and the pe.conf file to customize your installation.

Configuration parameters and the `pe.conf` file

A pe.conf file is a HOCON formatted file that declares parameters and values used to install, upgrade, or configure Puppet Enterprise (PE). A default pe.conf file is available in the conf.d directory in the installer tarball.

Tip: You can use a custom pe.conf file when installing PE by running:

./puppet-enterprise-installer -c
               <PATH_TO_pe.conf>

The following table lists the value types you can use in the pe.conf file, along with examples of each type:


Type	Parameter-value format example
FQDN	`"puppet_enterprise::puppet_master_host": "primary.example.com"`
String	`"console_admin_password": "mypassword"`
Array	`[ "puppet", "puppetlb-01.example.com" ]`
Boolean	`"puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::run_service": true` Restriction: The only valid Boolean values are `true` and `false`. These are not case sensitive, and these are the only values that don't use quotation marks. Don't use `Yes (y)`, `No (n)`, `1`, or `0` for Booleans.
JSON hash	`"puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::java_args": {"Xmx": "256m", "Xms": "256m"}`
Integer	`"puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_session_timeout": "60"`

Important: With the exception of Booleans, always use double quotes (") around parameter values.

Installation parameters

These parameters must be present in the pe.conf file to install Puppet Enterprise (PE).

puppet_enterprise::puppet_master_host: Specify the FQDN of the node hosting your PE primary server, such as primary.example.com.; Default: %{::trusted.certname}; Tip: To simplify installation, keep the default value and then provide a console administrator password after you run the installer.

Database configuration parameters

These parameters and values are supplied for Puppet Enterprise (PE) databases.

CAUTION: Don't change these parameters. This list is provided only for reference purposes.

puppet_enterprise::activity_database_name: The activity database name.; Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_read_user: An activity database user that can perform only read functions.; Default: pe-activity-read
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_write_user: An cctivity database user that can perform only read and write functions.; Default: pe-activity-write
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_super_user: The activity database superuser.; Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_migration_db_user: An activity service database user used for migrations.; Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_regular_db_user: An activity service database user used for normal operations.; Default: pe-activity-write
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_name: The classifier database name.; Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_read_user: A classifier database user that can perform only read functions.; Default: pe-classifier-read
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_write_user: A classifier database user that can perform only read and write functions.; Default: pe-classifier-write
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_super_user: The classifier database superuser.; pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_migration_db_user: A classifier service user used for migrations.; Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_regular_db_user: A classifier service user used for normal operations.; Default: pe-classifier-write
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_name: The orchestrator database name.; Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_read_user: An orchestrator database user that can perform only read functions.; Default: pe-orchestrator-read
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_write_user: An orchestrator database user that can perform only read and write functions.; Default: pe-orchestrator-write
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_super_user: The orchestrator database superuser.; Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_migration_db_user: An orchestrator service user used for migrations.; Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_regular_db_user: An orchestrator service user used for normal operations.; Default: pe-orchestrator-write
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_database_name: The PuppetDB database name.; Default: pe-puppetdb
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_database_user: The PuppetDB database user.; Default: pe-puppetdb
Tip: If necessary, you can Change the PuppetDB user password.
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_name: The role-based access control (RBAC) database name.; Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_read_user: An RBAC database user that can perform only read functions.; Default: pe-rbac-read
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_write_user: An RBAC database user that can perform only read and write functions.; Default: pe-rbac-write
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_super_user: The RBAC database superuser.; Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_migration_db_user: An RBAC service user used for migrations.; pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_regular_db_user: An RBAC service user used for normal operations.; Default: pe-rbac-write

External PostgreSQL parameters

These parameters are required to install an external PostgreSQL instance. If necessary, you can add password parameters to standard installations.

puppet_enterprise::database_host: The agent certname of the node hosting the database component.; Important: Don't use an alt name for the database_host value.
puppet_enterprise::database_port: The port that the database is running on.; Default: 5432
puppet_enterprise::database_ssl: A Boolean indicating whether SSL authentication is used.; Default: true; Important: Don't use SSL security for unmanaged PostgreSQL installations. Make sure you set database_ssl to false.
puppet_enterprise::database_cert_auth: A Boolean indicating whether certificate authentication is used.; Default: true; Important: Don't use SSL security for unmanaged PostgreSQL installations. Make sure you set database_cert_auth to false.
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_database_password: Specify a password, as a string, for the PuppetDB database user.; For example: mypassword
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_password: Specify a password, as a string, for the classifier database user.; For example: mypassword
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_regular_db_user: A database user the classifier service can use for normal operations.; Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_migration_db_user: A database user the classifier service can use for migrations.; Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_password: Specify a password, as a string, for the activity database user.; For example: mypassword
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_regular_db_user: A database user the activity service can use for normal operations.; Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_migration_db_user: A database user the activity service can use for migrations.; Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_password: Specify a password, as a string, for the RBAC database user.; For example: mypassword
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_regular_db_user: A database user the RBAC service can use for normal operations.; Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_migration_db_user: A database user the RBAC service can use for migrations.; Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_password: Specify a password, as a string, for the orchestrator database user.; For example: mypassword
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_regular_db_user: A database user the orchestrator service can use for normal operations.; Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_migration_db_user: A database user the orchestrator service can use for migrations.; Default: pe-orchestrator

Primary server parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune the primary server.

pe_install::puppet_master_dnsaltnames: An array of strings representing DNS altnames to add to the primary server's SSL certificate.; Default: ["puppet"]
pe_install::install::classification::pe_node_group_environment: A string indicating the environment that infrastructure nodes are running in.; Specify this parameter if you moved your primary server and other infrastructure nodes from the default production environment after install. With non-default environments, this setting ensures that your configuration settings are backed up.; Default: production
puppet_enterprise::ip_version: Accepts either 4 or 6 to specify a preference for IPv4 or IPv6, but this does not restrict the non-preferred option.; The default is 4 (prefer IPv4). You can set it to 6 if you prefer IPv6.
puppet_enterprise::ipv6_only: You can set this to true to force NGINX to listen only on IPv6.; The default is false, which allows both IPv4 and IPv6.
puppet_enterprise::master::recover_configuration::pe_environment: A string indicating the environment that infrastructure nodes are running in.; Specify this parameter if you moved your primary server and other infrastructure nodes from the default production environment after installation. With non-default environments, this setting ensures that your configuration settings are backed up.; Default: production
puppet_enterprise::profile::certificate_authority: An array of additional certificates to be allowed access to the /certificate_statusAPI endpoint. This list is added to the base certificate list.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::check_for_updates: A Boolean indicating whether to check for updates when the pe-puppetserver service restarts.; The default is true (check for updates). You can set it to false to not check for updates.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::code_manager_auto_configure: Set to true to automatically configure the Code Manager service; otherwise, set it to false.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_remote: A string representing the Git URL to be passed to the r10k.yaml file, for example: git@your.git.server.com:puppet/control.git; The URL can be any URL supported by r10k and Git.; This parameter is only required if you want r10k configured when you install PE, and you must also specify puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_private_key.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_private_key: A string representing the local file path on the primary server where the SSH private key can be found and used by r10k, for example: /etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh/id-control_repo.ed25519; This parameter is only required if you want r10k configured when you install PE, and you must also specify puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_remote.

Console and `console-services` parameters

In the PE Console node group, these parameters customize the behavior of the console and the console-services service.

You can modify parameters that begin with puppet_enterprise::profile in the PE console.

puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_synchronization_period: An integer representing, in seconds, the classifier synchronization period. This controls how long the node classifier can take to retrieve classes from the primary server.; Default: 600
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_failed_attempts_lockout: An integer specifying how many failed login attempts are allowed on an account before the account is revoked.; Default: 10
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_password_reset_expiration: An integer representing the number of hours that password reset tokens are valid.; An administrator generates these token for users to reset their passwords.; Default: 24
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_session_timeout: An integer representing, in minutes, how long a user's session can last.; The session length is the same for node classification, RBAC, and the console.; Default: 60
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::session_maximum_lifetime: An string representing how long a console session can last.; The value is formatted as a string consisting of a number and an optional suffix representing a unit of time: s (seconds), m (minutes), h (hours), d (days), or y years.; Example: "1d" (one day); If the suffix is omitted, the default unit of time is seconds.; A value of "0" sets an unlimited console session time.; To prevent console sessions from expiring before the maximum RBAC token lifetime, set this parameter to "0".
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_token_auth_lifetime: A string representing the default authentication lifetime for a token.; The value is formatted as a string consisting of a number followed by a suffix representing a unit of time: y (years), d (days), h (hours), m (minutes), or s (seconds).; Important: This value cannot exceed the rbac_token_maximum_lifetime.; Default: "1h" (one hour)
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_token_maximum_lifetime: A string representing the maximum allowable lifetime for all tokens.; The value is formatted as a string consisting of a number followed by a suffix representing a unit of time: y (years), d (days), h (hours), m (minutes), or s (seconds).; Default: 10y (10 years)
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::console_ssl_listen_port: An integer representing the port that the console listens on.; Default: 443
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::ssl_listen_address: A string containing an IP address repesenting the console's NGINX listen address.; Default: "0.0.0.0"
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_prune_threshold: An integer representing the number of days to wait before pruning the size of the classifier database.; Set the value to 0 to never prune the node classifier service.
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_node_check_in_storage: A Boolean specifying whether to enable node check-in storage. Enabling this feature is required to use Nodes check-in history endpoints.; Set to true to enable node check-in storage, which stores data explaining how nodes match the node group they're classified into.; Set to false to disable node check-in storage.; Default: false
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::display_local_time: A Boolean indicating whether to show timestamps in the local time or UTC.; Set to true to display timestamps in local time with hover text showing the equivalent UTC time.; Set to false to show timestamps in UTC time with no hover text.; Default: false
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::disclaimer_content_path: Specifies the location of the disclaimer.txt file containing disclaimer content that can appear on the console login page if you Create a custom login disclaimer.; Default: "/etc/puppetlabs/console-services"

The parameters must be set in Hiera or pe.conf, not the console:

puppet_enterprise::api_port: An integer specifying the SSL port that the node classifier is served on.; Default: 4433
puppet_enterprise::console_services::no_longer_reporting_cutoff: Length of time, in seconds, before a node is considered unresponsive.; Default: 3600 (seconds); For more information, refer to Node run statuses.

console_admin_password: The password to log into the console as the admin.; Example: "myconsolepassword"; Default: Specified during installation.
Tip: You can also Reset the console administrator password from the command line.

Orchestrator and orchestration services parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune the orchestrator and orchestration services.

puppet_enterprise::profile::agent::pxp_enabled

Boolean used to enable or disable the Puppet Execution Protocol (PXP) service.

Set to true to enable the PXP service, which is required to use the orchestrator and run Puppet from the console.

Set to false to disable the PXP service. If false, you can’t use the orchestrator or the Run Puppet button in the console.

Must be true to Configure PXP agent parameters.

Default: true

puppet_enterprise::profile::bolt_server::concurrency

An integer that determines the maximum number of simultaneous task or plan requests the orchestrator can make to bolt-server.

This setting only limits task or plan executions on nodes with SSH or WinRM transport methods, because these are the only tasks and plans requiring requests to bolt-server.

Default: 100 requests

CAUTION: Do not set a concurrency limit that is higher than the bolt-server limit. This can cause timeouts that lead to failed task runs.

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::global_concurrent_compiles

An integer specifying how many concurrent compile requests can be outstanding to the primary server across all orchestrator jobs.

Default: 8 requests

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::job_prune_threshold

An integer specifying the number of days to retain job reports.

Default: 30

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::pcp_timeout

An integer representing how long, in seconds, an agent can spend attempting to connect to a PCP broker during a Puppet run triggered by the orchestrator. If the agent can’t connect to the broker in the specified time frame, the Puppet run times out.

Default: 30

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::run_service

A Boolean used to enable (true) or disable (false) orchestration services.

Default: true

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::task_concurrency

An integer representing the number of simultaneous task or plan actions that can run at the same time. All task and plan actions are limited by this concurrency limit regardless of transport type (WinRM, SSH, PCP).

Default: 250 actions

puppet_enterprise::pxp_agent::ping_interval

An integer specifying the frequency, in seconds, that PXP agents ping PCP brokers. If the broker doesn't respond, the agent tries to reconnect.

Default: 120

More information: Configure PXP agent parameters

puppet_enterprise::pxp_agent::pxp_logfile

The path, as a string, to the PXP agent log file. This file can be used to debug orchestrator issues.

The default value varies by OS.

*nix: "/var/log/puppetlabs/pxp-agent/pxp-agent.log"
Windows: "C:\Program Data\PuppetLabs\pxp-agent\var\log\pxp-agent.log"

More information: Configure PXP agent parameters

You might need to configure these parameters depending on your infrastructure. You can always tune them later if you find you need to make adjustments.

puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::allowed_pcp_status_requests: An integer that defines how many times an orchestrator job allows status requests to time out before a job is considered failed. Status requests wait 12 seconds between timeouts, so multiply the value of the allowed_pcp_status_requests by 12 to determine how many seconds the orchestrator waits on targets that aren’t responding to status requests.; Default: 35 timeouts
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::java_args: Specifies the Java heap size, which is the amount of JVM memory that each Java process is allowed to request from the OS for orchestration services to use.; The value is formatted as a JSON hash, where the maximum and minimum are usually the same. For example: {"Xmx": "256m", "Xms": "256m"}; Default: 704 MB
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::jruby_max_active_instances: An integer that determines the maximum number of JRuby instances that the orchestrator creates to execute plans. Because each plan uses one JRuby to run, this value is effectively the maximum number of concurrent plans. Setting the orchestrator heap size (java_args) automatically sets the jruby_max_active_instances using the formula $java_args ÷ 1024. If the result is less than one, the default is one JRuby instance.; Default: 1 instance
Note: The jruby_max_active_instances pool for the orchestrator is separate from the Puppet Server pool. Refer to JRuby max active instances for more information.
puppet_enterprise::profile::plan_executor::versioned_deploys: A Boolean used for Running plans alongside code deployments.; Set to true to enable versioned deployments of environment code.; Default: false; Important: Setting this to true disables the file sync client's locking mechanism that usually enforces a consistent environment state for your plans. This can cause Puppet functions and plans that call other plans to behave unexpectedly if a code deployment occurs while a plan is running.

PuppetDB parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune PuppetDB.

puppet_enterprise::profile::master::puppetdb_host: An array containing a string representing the certname of the node running the PuppetDB service, which is usually the primary server.; Default: ["<PRIMARY_SERVER_CERTNAME>"]; The value is set on the PE Infrastructure node group and inherited by all child infrastructure node groups.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::puppetdb_port: An array containing an integer representing the SSL port that PuppetDB listens on.; Default: [8081]; You might need to change this value if The PuppetDB default port conflicts with another service. The value is set on the PE Infrastructure node group and inherited by all child infrastructure node groups.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::puppetdb::report_processor_ensure: Specifies if you want the primary server to generate agent run reports after each Puppet run.; Accepts a string of either "present" or "absent".; Default: "present" (enabled); Set to "absent" to Disable agent run reports.
puppet_enterprise::profile::puppetdb::node_purge_ttl: Set the length of time before PE automatically removes deactivated or expired nodes, along with their facts, catalogs, and reports, from PuppetDB.; Specify a string representing an amount of time. For example, "14d" sets the retention time to 14 days.; Default: "14d"; For more information, refer to Set the deactivated node retention time.
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb::command_processing_threads: Integer representing how many command processing threads PuppetDB uses to sort incoming data. Each thread can process one command at a time.; If the PuppetDB service runs on compilers, the default value is 25% of the number of cores in your system. Otherwise, the default value is half the number of cores in your system. The minimum is 1.; For more information, refer to PuppetDB command processing threads.

Java parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune Java.

puppet_enterprise::profile::master::java_args: JVM (Java Virtual Machine) memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to the Puppet Server service, for example {"Xmx": "4096m", "Xms": "4096m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::puppetdb::java_args: JVM memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to the PuppetDB service, for example {"Xmx": "512m", "Xms": "512m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::java_args: JVM memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to console services, for example {"Xmx": "512m", "Xms": "512m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::java_args: JVM memory, set as a JSON hash, that is allocated to orchestration services, for example, {"Xmx": "256m", "Xms": "256m"}.